Battery box



A. G. DEAN BATTERY BOX May 16, 1939.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 12, 1938 3mm QLBERT 6. Damn May 16, 1939. G DEAN 2,158,784

BATTERY BOX Fil ed March 12, @938 2 Sheets-She et 2 FIE a l i W f: I '21 a 15} I18, I

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; HLBERT G. DEQN Patented May 16, 1939 UNITED STATES BATTERY BOX Albert G. Dean, Narberth, Pa., assignor to Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 12, 1938, Serial No. 195,527

6 Claims.

i This invention relates to battery boxes, and more particularly to boxes of the type commonly suspended beneath rail cars.

The general object of the invention is to provide an improved box construction by means of which a greater clearance is provided between the outer side of the box and the road bed, without sacrificing the strength and rigidity of the box. More specifically, the invention contemplates a construction in which the outer side of the box is hinged along its lower edge to constitute a door, and in which this door serves as a girder to assist in carrying the load.

In order that the invention, may be readily l5 understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and in which: 9

Fig. lis a transverse section through my improved battery box, complete, the door being 20 shown in dotted lines in its open position, and

parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation looking in a direction opposite to that of Fig. 1, the door being shown in full lines in its open position;

25 Fig. 3 is a plan view of the box as it appears in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail showing in elevation the upper right hand corner of the box as viewed from the outside, with the door removed,

I 30 one of the supporting beams being shown in dotted lines.

Referring to the drawings in detail, my improved box is preferably formed of sheet metal and comprises a bottom I, on which is laid a suit- 35 able floor I of wood or the like, a top 2, end walls 3 and 4, a rear or inner side wall 5, and an outer or front side wall 6, constituting the door and also provided with a suitable lining or fioor 6- of wood or the like.

49 As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a terminal box I is mounted on the upper forward portion of the end wall 4.

A pair of hanger straps 8 and 9 is provided, each strap extending around underneath the box and 45 being secured thereto, one being located near the rear or inner side of the box and the other being located at the front or outer side thereof, adjacent the door 6. Secured to the upper ends of these straps 8 and ii are hanger angles l0, as

50 clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, and bolts l i pass through holes in the ends of straps 8 and 9 and the superposed hanger angles Ill, to secure the hangers to one of the transverse beams ll of the car framing. 5 In order to stiflen the bottom of the box and carry part of the load, a reinforcing beam 13, shown in Fig. 1 as of laterally flanged channel section, pressed from sheet metal, extends underneath the box substantially in the plane of the hanger strap 8 and secured through the lateral 5 flanges and at its ends to such strap.

In practice, this beam would be located at a point substantially midway between the rails of the track, and there is therefore ample clearance between this beam and the road bed.

In cases, however, where the car is low swung. and especially on road beds where third rails are employed, it is found that there frequently is not enough clearance to permit the use of another beam similar to l3 adjacent the outside of the box, in the plane of the hanger 9, as would be desirable.

In order to carry the load on this part of the box, therefore, I have devised the following construction.

The door 6 is pivotally connected at its lower edge to the bottom of the box by suitable hinge means It, so that it may swing from the full line position to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1. While a plurality of separate hinge members spaced apart along the length of the door might be used, I preferably employ what is known as a piano hinge extending continuously along the entire lower edge of the door, as shown in Fig. 3.

In any event, whether separate hinges or a continuous piano hinge be employed, the essential thing is that the hinge means be distributed along the length of the door so that the load is transmitted through such hinge means from thebottom of the box to the door. Thus when the door is in closed position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1,

it acts as a girder and serves to carry the load transmitted to it through the hinge means.

In order to still further stiifen and strengthen the door, I secure to the outer side thereof one or more reinforcing beams l5 and i6, as illustrated in Fig. 1, also shown as of channel section and formed of sheet metal, these beams extending lengthwise oi the door, and the beam l5 being disposed parallel with and adjacent the hinge means it at the lower edge of the door. These beams also assist in carrying the load. In order to hold the door in closed position,

I provide a pair of hasps i'i, one at each end of 5 the box, these hasps being constructed to swing about a vertical pivot iii. Corresponding staples It are secured to the outside of the door, and

when the door is closed, the hasps are placed over the staples and locked in position by means of pins 20, (see Fig. 4) adapted to be inserted in the staples.

In order to hold the door in open position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and full lines in Figs. 2 and 3, I provide brace rods 2| pivotally connected at their ends to eye-bolts 22 and 23 set into the top of the box and the door respectively. These rods 2! are preferably made in two sections, pivotally connected at the middle as by a link 2|, in order to permit the rods to fold when the door is closed.

When the door is open, it will be seen that the upper surface of the lining 5 which constitutes a floor, lies in the same plane as the upper surface of the floor I, so that the batteries may be slid in or out of the box and temporarily supported on the door 6. Under these circumstances, the reinforcing beams I 5 and I6 of course impart to the door sufiicient longitudinal strength and stiffness to enable it to support the batteries.

It will therefore be appreciated that the door, with its reinforcing beams, when in its open position, is capable of sustaining the weight of the batteries and when in its closed position serves as a girder to carry the load which is transmitted to it through the hinge means I4.

What I claim is:

1. A battery box having means for suspending it from a suitable support, and provided at one side with a door, and hinge means pivotally connecting the lower edge of said door to the box, to swing about a substantially horizontal axis, said hinge means being distributed along the length of the door, and a reinforcing beam extending along the door body adjacent the hinge whereby the load on the bottom of the box is transmitted through said hinge means to said door, which door, when closed, serves as a load supporting girder.

2. A battery box having means for suspending it from a suitable support, and having one side pivotally connected by hinge means at its lower edge to the bottom of the box to constitute a door, said hinge means being distributed along the length of the box, and a reinforcing beam extending along the outer face of the door adjacent the hinge whereby the load on said bottom is transmitted through said hinge means to said door, which door, when in its vertical position, serves as a load supporting girder.

3. A battery box as in claim 2, in which the I hinge means is of the "piano type and extends continuously throughout the length of the door.

4. A battery box having means for suspending it from a suitable support, and having one side pivotally connected by hinge means at its lower edge to the bottom of the box to constitue a door, a reinforcing beam extending under the bottom of the box at a point remote from the door, and a reinforcing beam extending along the outer face of said door, lengthwise thereof, said hinge means being distributed along the length of the box, whereby the load on that part of said bottom adjacent the door is transmitted through said hinge means to the door, which door, with its said reinforcing beam, serves to carry such load.

5. A battery box having means for suspending it from a suitable support, and having one side pivotally connected by hinge means at its lower edge to the bottom of the box to constitute a door, a reinforcing beam extending under the bottom of the box at a point remote from the door, and a reinforcing beam extending along the outer face of said door parallel with and adjacent said hinge means, and means for supporting said door, when open, in horizontal position, said hinge means being distributed along the length of the box, whereby the load on that part of said bottom adjacent the door is transmitted through said hinge means to the door, which door, in both its open and closed positions, serves to carry such load.

6. A battery box for railway cars having two pairs of hangers by means of which it may be suspended beneath a car, with its outer side adjacent the side of the car, one pair of hangers being disposed near said outer side, and the other pair of hangers being disposed near the inner side, a reinforcing beam extending beneath the box in substantially the plane of the inner pair of hangers, the outer side of the box being hinged at its lower edge to the bottom of the box to constitute a door, and a reinforcing beam extending along the outer face of said door parallel with and adjacent the said lower edge thereof, whereby said door, with its reinforcing beam, serves to assist the first mentioned beam in carrying the load.

ALBERT G. DEAN. 

